Digest of Armenian Media for April 1- 15

02.04.2012
Tert.amRussia willing to contribute to the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – FM [ENG]
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a two-day visit to Yerevan, Armenia, that Moscow is willing to contribute to a negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He also said that much has been done so far to find common ground with respect to the principles supposed to serve as a basis of a peace agreement. As OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, Russia is willing to do its best, considering the parties’ wishes, Sergei Lavrov said.

02.04.2012
News.amOSCE Minsk Group to continue efforts to settle Karabakh conflict – US Ambassador [ENG]
This article says that US Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern said that the U.S., France and Russia will continue their efforts to find a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
He also said that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs would continue to demand finding the right solution and introducing the mechanisms to put an end to the ceasefire violation. Heffern said they would continue to bring the sides closer and try to put an end to violations and establish long-tern peace. Weapons should be restricted, ceasefire regime maintained, while the nations should get ready for realistic solution to the conflict, he added.

Azerbaijan recently rejected at least 4 proposals of OSCE mediators – Armenian FM [ENG]
According to this article, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said at a joint press conference in Yerevan with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Azerbaijan has recently rejected at least four arrangements. Commenting on “Baku’s constant appeals to the resolutions of the UN Security Council,” Nalbandian said they were adopted back in 1993 and contained calls to stop hostilities and sign a ceasefire agreement”. After each resolution Azerbaijan intensified the military actions suffering defeats of the local Armenian forces, the Minister added.

Lithuania regrets Karabakh conflict was not solved during its OSCE presidency [ENG]
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis said he regrets that the parties to the Karabakh conflict failed to achieve a settlement during his country’s presidency in the OSCE. Talking to journalists in Baku, Azubalis said Vilnius would spare no effort to assist the sides in reaching peaceful resolution of the conflict.

02.04.2012
1in.amHigh time for Armenia and Azerbaijan to go forward over peaceful agreement- Stefan Fule [ARM]
EU Commissioner on Enlargement and Eastern Neighborhood Policy said in Baku that it is high time for Armenia and Azerbaijan to take steps to reach a peaceful agreement over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He also said that the EU would take some steps to strengthen trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Stefan Fule further said that though a lot of people call the Karabakh conflict a frozen one, it does really concern the EU. The EU commissioner also said that the EU considers the OSCE Minsk Group as the only format to the peacetalks over the Karabakh conflict.

03.04.2012
Tert.amEU Commissioner rules out France’s replacement in Minsk Group [ENG]
According to this article, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule ruled out the possibility of replacing France’s mandate in the OSCE Minsk Group. He was quoted as saying that the EU keeps backing France’s efforts towards reaching a negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Fule also said that the Karabakh issue was a key topic at his meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

03.04.2012
Lragir.amRussia is in favor of returning territories around Nagorno Karabakh [ARM]
This article says that the statement by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who said during his two-day visit in Yerevan that the Madrid Principles should remain as the basis for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, testifies to the fact that the Russian diplomat thinks Armenia should return the territories around Nagorno Karabakh and only then it will be possible to resolve the conflict. The article also claims that Lavrov hinted that the parties fail to agree on the issue. The article cites also Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian as saying that Azerbaijan backtracked on its pledges at least six times recently.

03.04.2012
Panorama.amAzerbaijan hinders confidence building process between conflicting sides – Karine Achemyan [ENG]
MP of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, Karine Achemyan, said that Armenia backs peaceful resolution of Karabakh conflict while Azerbaijan fails to overcome the “defeatist complex and carries out anti-Armenian propaganda at international level”. “Azerbaijan should refrain from making provocative statements and show respect for the Armenian side and the mediator countries,” she said. The MP also said that a settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict can be achieved solely through peaceful negotiations.

03.04.2012
1in.amThe most important thing is stable status quo – David Babayan [ARM]
This article says that the spokesperson for the de facto President of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, Davit Babayan, said that Nagorno Karabakh is still not a party to the peacetalks, adding that the format of Karabakh’s participation in the talks should be resumed. He also said that Turkey’ condition to open its border with Armenia only after the Karabakh conflict is resolved means the conflict has stepped into a new phase. “At the same time the most important thing is that the status quo is being observed in a stable way,” said Davit Babayan.

03.04.2012
News.amRussian MFA to accelerate Karabakh peace process [ENG]
According to this article, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a visit to Azerbaijan that Moscow is interested in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and is acting in the interests of the people residing in the region. “We all want to accelerate the process of conflict resolution, and we will make additional efforts in order not to delay this process,” he was quoted as saying.

EU’s aim not to settle conflict but coordinate contacts between people [ENG]
European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule said in Baku that the European Union would continue the discussion of a new package of confidence-building proposals with the parties to the Karabakh conflict. “But I can note that first we have enough experience in this issue and our position is not to settle the conflict under these proposals, but to coordinate contacts between the ordinary people,” he was quoted as saying.

Christian Vigenin, a co-chairman of the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly said that a new report by the Assembly’s Committee on Political Affairs would cover regional security issues. The official said that the document would address the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, along with the conflicts in Transnistria and Georgia. He called for Azerbaijan and Armenia’s efforts to assist the Minsk Group in achieving a negotiated settlement.

04.03.2012
News.amPeople of Nagorno-Karabakh must decide their destiny – Armenian MFA [ENG]
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said at a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart Erkki Tuomioja in Yerevan that “Baku is trying to blackmail the delegations visiting Azerbaijan to make them voice one-sided wordings on the Karabakh issue”. “Such an approach cannot be useful for the peace process,” Nalbandian said, stressing that the right to self-determination, along with other principles, is the basis of the OSCE Minsk Group proposals.
The principle is reflected in the statements adopted in Helsinki, Athens, Almaty, Astana and Vilnius, he said adding that the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group repeatedly stated the Karabakh people should decide their own destiny.

Armenian PM says movement in building platform for Karabakh talks was registered [ENG]
According to this article, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said at an interview with the Russian online newspaper Kommersant that there is a serious movement in creation of platform for the Karabakh peace process. He also said that conflicts like the one of Nagorno-Karabakh are not solved easily and overnight. The Armenian PM also said that meetings and talks held in trilateral format were very useful. “There appeared deep understanding of the problem both within the OSCE Minsk Group format and the meetings held at the initiative of Dmitry Medvedev,” he stressed.

05.04.2012
Panorama.amOnly peaceful settlement will lead to security in region – Clinton [ENG]
According to this article, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a briefing that “we regret any loss of life and continue to call upon the sides to take steps – including the withdrawal of snipers – to improve the atmosphere for negotiations, prevent unnecessary casualties, and strengthen implementation of the ceasefire”. As a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, she added, the US remains deeply committed to helping the sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to reach a lasting and peaceful settlement. “The US has emphasized that the parties should show restraint in both their public statements and on the ground to avoid misunderstandings and unintended consequences,” she said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said that Azerbaijan is making statements, which “hamper the Karabakh settlement,” “Azerbaijan is pretending to show interest in the change of status quo. But official Baku’s statements say it opposes the settlement and changes in status quo,” he said. Further, Nalbandian recalled that Hillary Clinton had said all the principles and elements presented as a basis for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are drafted and presented to the sides as a whole. “Separating one element or principle will not solve the problem,” he added.

Azerbaijan discredits UN Security Council – Armenian FM [ENG]
This news item says that Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said that Azerbaijan discredits the UN Security Council with President Ilham Aliyev calling Armenians as “fascists”. He also said that Azerbaijan is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, at the same time Baku creates tension in the region by making warlike statements daily. Besides, the country is engaged in military build-up, creating threats to security and stability in the region and in the world. “I believe no comments are necessary. It is an attempt to throw dust in the eyes of their society,” Nalbandian said.

This article says that within the framework of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly session in Baku, Armenian National Assembly delegation member Stepan Safaryan, referred to the speech of the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, saying that his speech “comes to prove yet again that Azerbaijan lives in another reality”. “The Minister called Nagorno-Karabakh’s self-determination as ‘occupation,’ in the case when the Nagorno-Karabakh people decolonized and self-determined just as lawfully—and consistent with the international law—as Armenia and Azerbaijan,” said the MP.

06.04.2012
Tert.amBryza hopes for breakthrough in Karabakh talks [ENG]
According to this article, former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mathew Bryza said he is hopeful to see a quick breakthrough in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement talks. Bryza also said that there has been no dramatic shift in the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations. “I continue to be convinced that there is a workable and fair proposal on the table that co-chairs have worked on for many years and I think there will be breakthrough when the two presidents feel they can trust each one sufficiently,” he was quoted as saying.

06.04.2012
RFELKlaus can understand Azerbaijan’s position on Karabakh [ARM]
This article says that President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus said at a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Prague that he can understand Azerbaijan’s position over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He also said that he would not remain indifferent either had part of his own country been occupied. “I would like to give some advice on the resolution of this issue, but unfortunately I cannot say anything about this issue,” said Vaclav Klaus.

06.04.2012
News.amRussia’s position based on similar attitude towards three principles of Karabakh settlement [ENG]
According to this news article, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement remains unchanged. “Our position is based on principle approaches offered by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” he said. The position of the mediators and Russia’s actions is based on the necessity to seek a solution, which would answer the interests of one and the other side, he added. Lavrov also stressed that the solution should be based on similar attitude towards the basic principles: the right of the people for self-determination, non-use of force and territorial integrity.

09.04.2012
Tert.amRussian official rules out speedy settlement of Karabakh conflict [ENG]
According to this news article, Chairperson of Russia’s Federal Council, Valentina Matvienko, said she thinks a speedy settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is impossible given the complexity of the issue. “I think that we must give attention to the trilateral meetings of our intellectuals and cultural workers,” she said, adding that it is impossible to settle this conflict without confidence. “We must support the scientists and culture figures in their confidence-building efforts,” she was quoted as saying.

11.04.2012
1in.amKarabakh conflict should be resolved through the efforts of regional players – ambassador [ENG]
According to this news item, Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohammad Bahrami said in an interview that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resolved through efforts of the regional countries. “That conflict should be settled exclusively in a peaceful way,” said he, adding that Iran intends to use its relations with Armenia for a peaceful and just settlement to the conflict. The Iranian ambassador also expressed regret for what he called the “failure” of the OSCE Minsk Group for 18 years now o solve the conflict.

12.04.2012
Hetq.amEdward Nalbandian meets OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs [ENG]
This article says that Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in Warsaw and discussed issues related to the ongoing talks over the Karabakh conflict, and the implementation of the provisions of the statement adopted in Sochi in January this year. Nalbandian drew attention on the “statements from Baku and the steps being taken which are in direct contradiction” to the agreements reached in Sochi. The Armenian FM also said that the “anti-Armenian and racist rhetoric by Azerbaijan” hampers the talks’ process.

This article says that the inhabitants of the village of Mataghis in Martakert region in Nagorno-Karabakh pray everyday so that the war will not resume. “If there is no war, we will live a good life. We are ready to even remain hungry, lest there should be no war,” the villagers said. A resident named Alvina Avanesyan recollected that the village was prospering before the war, adding that today a lot of families are staying in dilapidated houses. Most of the villagers live now in Russia and do not want to come back because of poor conditions.